44 reviews of this school

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Robert and Danell Tarwater Elementary School5

Posted February 09, 2015
- a parent

Tarwater has exceeded all of our expectations. Since joining the student body three years ago, my daughter has continued to excel in her studies and become a confident contributing member of her class. The principal makes class visitation and participation a top priority. And thanks to the extra effort provided parents, the teachers have more productive class instruction. We love this school!

Love this school! My son has attended K-3 and our daughter is started Kindergarten last year. Some of the negative comments on this school are warranted, not everyone is perfect and 100% all the time but overall we have had an outstanding experience at Tarwater. There is a large sense of community from the PTO and Dad's Club, the Teachers reinforce the concept of Parental Involvement (if you aren't willing to participate in your child's education, this is not the school for you) and there are many activities throughout the year for families to be involved at the school. I can't say enough good things about Mr. Hensley and his Administration, they run a tight ship and he is always out on the grounds talking to students and parents and making his presence known. I haven't had much interaction with the new Dean so I will not comment on her. Granted, this is the only school our children have attended so I don't have much to gauge it against except the comments of friends regarding their children's schools.

Tarwater is a great school. I personally love all the events the school puts on. It is great to see so much parental involvement in this school. When we moved here from Oregon my child was over a month behind because Oregon schools don't start until after labor day. She caught up very quickly and the Principal Mr. Hensley knew her by name within the 1st week. Pretty impressive seeing how there are over 800 students at Tarwater. I am thankful we moved into the Tarwater district and wouldn't think about moving my children to another school. My biggest issue is the lack of parking for parents picking up their children. My other issue is with parents not following the traffic rules when picking their children up from school

Tarwater has a great sense of community my son has been very happy here for the past 2 years. Mr Hensley takes an interest in every child and is often found walking the school grounds each morning interacting with the kids. Have also been very happy with my childs teachers both years.

Our oldest daughter went to Jacobsen and we found it to be a really great school, but since our youngest has been attending Tarwater I would have to say it is even better. Her teachers challenge the kids and keep us in the loop about any concerns. The Principal, Mr. Hensley, is always involved with the kids and school pride is apparent around every corner.

I am also so surprised by the negative ratings that I have read here. This is my first child going through the school and I have never seen such a strong sense of community. I personally love Tarwater an I couldn't have asked for a better place. The office staff has been extremely helpful towards me when my child has forgotten to take things to school. Her teacher is amazing; the principal is very involved and knows most kids by name. Even if he misprounces a name he apologizes to everyone at that moment. My daughter has really excelled here and is doing great.

I can't imagine a better school for my family than Tarwater. My kids have been at Tarwater for 5 years now and they LOVE school. I truly believe that the wonderful, caring, structured atmosphere has allowed them to thrive and enjoy school every day. The prinicpal is fantastic and very involved. The school is busy with homework, events, activities, etc. but we pick and choose what we can go to and what we can help with so I don't fell overwhelemed they way some of the other parents reviews have mentioned. I highly recommend Tarwater!

We moved from a Kyrene school and did not expect to be this happy at Tarwater. Teachers and parental involvement are what make Tarwater a success. I can't believe any of the poor reviews. I am sure at all schools you could have a bad experience? I love the open feel and how welcomed we have felt here. I work a lot so we can't do all the activities they have but I would much rather have too many things then too little. They do send home homework, but I feel it's appropriate.

I gave the school 1 star because my kids are overwhelmed with home work and too many fundraising events and ceremonies. The last orchestra event I complained to the the principle about how the orchestra kids felt on orchestra day. The orchestra teacher praised 8 out of 10 kids that got on the deems list, principles list or high achievers lists by asking the majority to stand up in front of a large audience. The 2 sitting were very sad and embarrassed. The orchestra teacher praised the 8 kids on stage standing and mocked ( no joking) the remainder 2 o kids sitting by saying to the kids sitting- to be like the ones standing and 'you will not be sitting next year'. She does this every year to the 5th and 6th graders. 6 of the parents I know felt bad for the kids sitting. I complained to the principle by email and he never responded. The teachers work very hard and they do an excellent job. The office/ Administration need to be more considerate and do not expect anything left for your child in the office to reach your child because they are not very helpful in that respect and forget.

This is a fantastic elementary school with excellent teachers. The principal is always on site and available. Very nicely run and high on the academics. We were very pleased that this was our neighborhood elementary!